The present invention relates to a freezer box and in particular, though not limited to a freezer box for freezing ice cream and the like.
Ice cream is prepared by mixing the appropriate ingredients at room temperature, and then freezing the mixture. The freezing may be carried out in a continuous process or in a batch process. In a continuous process, the mixed ingredients are continuously passed through a freezer where the temperature of the mixture is reduced so that it commences to solidify. In a batch process, a batch of mixed ingredients is placed in a freezer until the mixture commences to solidify. In both cases, the partly solidified mixture is then transferred for packaging and further freezing. While both of these processes are adequate for manufacturing ice cream in large quantities, typically, on a commercial scale, in general, they are unsuitable for producing relatively small batches of ice cream, typically, a batch of the size which would be made at home for home use or for use in a relatively small restaurant. Various attempts have been made to provide apparatus, such as, for example, freezer boxes for the manufacture of ice cream in relatively small batches in the home, however, in general, such apparatus and freezer boxes suffer from a number of disadvantages. In general, the ice cream produced from such apparatus and freezer boxes is of relatively poor quality. In particular, the ice cream lacks the relatively smooth consistency which is desirable in a good quality ice cream. During the freezing process of an ice cream mixture, ice crystals are formed from the liquid water in the ice cream mixture. To maintain a relatively smooth consistency in the frozen ice cream, it is essential that the ice crystals formed should be relatively small. The smaller the ice crystals can be maintained the smoother will be the ice cream. One of the problems with known apparatus and freezer boxes for use in the production of home made ice cream is that the ice crystals formed in the ice cream, in general, are relatively large, and thus, significantly and adversely affect the consistency of the frozen ice cream.
GB-A-808,690 describes a device for cooling solid and liquid substances and keeping them cool. This is effected by providing two hollow bodies which contain a liquid freezable cooling medium and which have heat exchange surfaces on the inside. While such a device is useful for cooling substances and keeping them cool, it is not appropriate for freezing ice cream and the like where there is a need to limit the size of the ice crystals formed during the freezing process to provide a good frozen product.
There is therefore a need for a freezer box for preparing relatively small batches of ice cream which enables ice cream of a relatively smooth consistency to be produced.
The present invention is directed towards providing such a freezer box.